The Shenanigans of Cap'n Jack Sparrow
by LadyElemental
Summary: Cap'n Jack has found himself thrown, literally, into the Halo universe.  Oh, the crazy things that can happen to ruin Cheif's day!  How will everyone react to the "new recruit" and his attitude towards life?  Will anyone from the Caribbean even miss Jack?
1. Tia's Magic Potion

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pirates of the Caribbean or Halo. They are property of Walt Disney and Bungie/343 respectively. Thank you. ~LE**

**AN: This takes place after PotC 4 (with a few minor adjustments) and at the very beginning of Halo 3. I'll try not to include any spoilers for PotC4. Don't think I have to worry about that for Halo...  
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><p><span>The Shenanigans of Cap'n Jack Sparrow<span>

Chapter One

Tia's Magic Potion

Captain Jack Sparrow docked a tiny rowboat at the far end of the Pantano River. Cuba was dark, looking very much like New Orleans during Mardi Gras; the trees were a staple in everything and lanterns lit the way. The tiny shack Jack entered was full of many nonsense items lining the shelves and hanging from the ceiling.

"Jack," a woman cooed, stepping into the candlelight.

"Tia Dalma," he said, throwing his hands out to the side.

"And what brings you to mine lovely river?" she asked. "Has you lost him precious Pearl again?"

"Yeah, about that," Jack said, trailing his words in denial.

"So ye have," Tia Dalma smirked. "Who be taking it this time?"

"The same man as always, Hector Barabossa," he smiled, strutting around the shop and tinkering with some things that he found. They were all shiny or sparkly, something that always caught Jack's eye. "Is there something that might help me win against Hector?"

"Unfortunately, no such thing belongs to me. Many other options, yes," she commented. Jack's face fell as he fingered a gold trinket. "Something is weighing on your mind, is it not, Jack Sparrow?" Tia drawled.

"What?" Jack said with shock. "No, nothing's bothering me," he dissented.

"Don't you fool with me, Jack Sparrow," Tia snapped. "I know many things and I know what is on you mind!" Jack cowered slightly, knowing it was best to keep his mouth shut. "What you want, your compass cannot show. An adventure – seeing as there really is no need for pirates anymore."

Jack perked up, attention caught at the idea of an adventure. Too bad Hector had his ship though. Seems like he would have to acquire a crew and ship at Tortuga. That shouldn't be a problem.

"Adventure, what kind of adventure?" Jack asked enthusiastically.

"Oh, a wild adventure. The best of all time," Tia Dalma said with a wicked smile. "Drink this," she smiled, handing him a cup full of steaming green liquid.

"I think I'll pass," Jack smiled. Tia Dalma stared at him.

"Then me guesses no adventures will become you," she said simply, turning to walk away. "Times are changing, Jack. Soon, there be no more need for pirates and what will you do then?"

"Adventure!" Jack said excitedly. Tia held the cup out again and, pausing for a moment, Jack took it and drank. "It tastes like rum," he said, surprise in his voice. "How did you do that?"

"To each person, a taste they love," Tia said. "Now finish it." Without hesitation, Jack upended the goblet, draining it of the green liquid.

"Now what?" he asked after a few moments. For some reason, he was beginning to feel very sleepy. "Suddenly tired," he yawned.

"You know me bed always open," Tia smirked.

"I think I might…." Jack started, taking a step before falling to the dusty floorboards. Tia Dalma smiled, petting a monkey as it jumped onto her shoulder.

"The problem is solved, isn't it, Jack?" she cooed, scratching the monkey's ear. He gave small screech, jumping to the floor and licking the goblet clean. Tia Dalma strolled to the back of her shack, gently moving things out of her way.

Jack awoke in a small clump of trees, sporting a pounding in his head. A strange sound came from nearby and he jumped slightly. After listening for a minute, he realized that the sound was being repeated over and over and that it wasn't so scary after all. Curiosity overtook him and he meandered to the source, finding himself standing a smooth black stone that had been stretched in a continuous line. Upon touching it with his hand, he found that it was quite hot to the touch. He jerked his hand back and stood upright, looking for the first time at the source of the strange noise. Big colorful things were moving rapidly down the black stone, supported by four things that were obviously wheels, just different to look at, it seemed.

He furrowed his brow, leaning forward when one of noise makers zoomed by. It left Jack standing there, dumbstruck, while his dreadlocks whipped around his face. After a second, he realized that the rush of air caused by the noisemaker had taken his hat.

"My hat!" he cried, watching it float into the middle of the black stone. Many noisemakers were moving on both sides of his hat, one of them coming very close to crushing it. He gasped, wondering idly if these noisemakers would harm him if he were to simply walk over and grab his hat. They looked like they could but he was Captain Jack Sparrow! Everybody remembered it as the day they _almost_ caught Captain Jack Sparrow! He attempted to take a step onto the black stone when hands roughly grabbed his shoulders and prevented him from retrieving his hat.

"What do you – get off!" he cried, shaking himself free from the stranger's grasp.

"You sure take your pirate business serious, huh?" the man asked.

"Well, of course," Jack said, curling his lip. "I am a pirate. What else could possibly require such undefined yet totally defined clothes?" The man gave him an odd look.

"Ohkay, calm down. What were you going to walk in the street for? Don't you know that cars can kill?"

"Cars?" Jack repeated, trying the word on his tongue. "Is that what they're called?"

"Duh, where you from anyways."

"Uh, England," Jack replied, thinking for a brief moment.

"You sure? I think England has cars as well," the man said, quirking his eyebrows.

"No, they have ships and big horse carriage things," he commented, enthusiastically moving his hands. "Never seen these things before."

"You must be so sheltered," the man chuckled. "Look, traffic stopped. I think it's safe to grab your hat now." Jack turned to see that there were no more noisemakers on the black stone. He cautiously walked out and grabbed his hat, running back to safety as soon as possible. He immediately straightened his hat out and placed on his head.

"Thank you," Jack managed to say after a moment. "And now I must find me a ship," he muttered, stumbling away. "Or maybe rum. Rum is always good."

"Well, I doubt you can get a ship. A boat maybe," the man said. "But you can always find rum at the bar."

"This isn't England, is it?" Jack asked, facing the man. '_Why won't he just shut up?'_ he thought to himself. _'What did Tia Dalma do to me?'_

"You okay? And no, this isn't England, you're in America."

"America? What's Ameri-thing?" The man gave Jack a strange look. Suddenly, Jack didn't seem so sure about accepting anything from Tia Dalma ever again. "Oh! What's that?" Jack said suddenly, pointing behind the man. The man turned, giving Jack ample opportunity to bash the back of his head and run away. If the people here knew of England, then surely Tia Dalma sent him to another time period. His next question became, how did he get back?

"Look, mom! It's Jack Sparrow!" a little boy cried. Jack skidded to a halt, turning to the look at the small child. His mother grabbed his hand and quickly tugged him down the street.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" someone called. He was dressed entirely in black with some sort of accessory belt and gun around his waist. He came running towards Jack, who took off running down the street. On a spur of luck, he found an open house and managed to hide inside. After a few moments, he began to wander through the house, stumbling upon an odd piece of technology. It was a moving picture, it seemed, only much more realistic. He walked closer, bumping into an oddly shaped piece of plastic and sending it skidding across the floor. From the picture, gunfire erupted, startling Jack. He jumped and uttered a small scream. He thought briefly if someone might have been in the house and so he held his breath and listened. When he heard nothing, he continued walking towards the moving picture.

Again, he bumped the piece of plastic. As it skidded a little ways, Jack heard more gunfire but it didn't startle him this time. In fact, he made a connection. He picked up the device and began fiddling with it. He chuckled when he caused the figure to shoot his gun and move forward. For some reason, this whole thing was oddly entertaining to him. So he spent a fair portion of the afternoon standing in front of the picture as he slowly moved the character across the picture. Ahead of him, there was a cliff. Jack didn't know this but he decided to check it out anyways. He took one step over the edge, causing the character to fall to his death.

"What?" Jack said in surprise, staring at the devise in his hands. He shook it, trying to make it work again. A white light enveloped him and he felt himself being moved against his will. His feet left the ground and within a few moments, he was falling through the air. He landed with a heavy thud on a thick mat of grass and underbrush. The jungle he found himself in was very lush and green, teeming with all kinds of wildlife. There was just one problem: he wasn't on Earth anymore.

"Well, what do we have here?" a rough voice said from somewhere nearby.

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><p><strong>So, this is an idea I came up with while browsing through some of the crossover fanfiction. I wondered why nobody had written anything like this because I can just imagine all of the crazy things Jack could get into while in the Halo universe. I really want some feedback on this, it would be greatly appreciated. The rest of the story (and yes, there is one) will mainly be told through Jack's perspective, so Halo things are really going to be described in detail. I apologize in advance for that. Sorry.<strong>

**Other than that, I hope you enjoy it and please R&R!**

**~LE  
><strong>


	2. Sierra 117

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pirates of the Caribbean or Halo. They are property of Walt Disney and Bungie/343 respectively. Thank you. ~LE**

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><p><span>The Shenanigans of Cap'n Jack Sparrow<span>

Chapter Two

Sierra 117

Jack looked up to see a very tall man in bulky hunter green armor supposedly looking down on him. It was hard to tell, yellow visor and all. He was carrying what was obviously a gun, though it was much sleeker and seemed much easier to handle.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a very rough voice.

"I'm Cap'n Jack Sparrow," Jack replied, standing to his feet and daintily brushing the dirt from his brown pants. When he was satisfied, he looked at the solider before him and gave him the once over. The man was nearly a foot taller than Jack, forcing him to crane his neck if he wanted to look into the visor. "And you are?" he asked, pulling one side of his lips up.

"You can call me Master Chief," he responded. "Where did you come from?"

"What does that mean? Isn't this Earth?"

"Yes, this is Earth. Africa, to be exact," Master Chief replied dully. "That's not what I meant. Men don't just fall from the sky on a normal basis, you know?"

"Yes, because only you, Spartan, can fall from the sky any day," a gravelly voice said from behind the Chief. Jack looked and jumped with a scream, landing with Master Chief between them. An alien, covered in black, stood beside them. Jack furrowed his brow when he realized that the alien had spoken English. What strange things were happening. Where was the rum when he needed it? "What a strange human. Where did he come from?"

"Earth, I guess. Not entirely sure," Chief said, turning away.

"Wait!" Jack shouted before they got too far away. Master Chief turned and looked at him briefly, wondering what he could possibly want. "You're not just going to leave me, are you?"

"Is this tiny human lost?" the alien asked, looking at Chief.

"Not sure, Arbiter," he replied. "Follow, if you must, but know that I'm not responsible if you get hurt." Master Chief sighed, rolling his shoulders and marching down the forest trail. The alien, obviously called Arbiter, followed as well. Jack looked after them for a moment before glancing around the African forest. As he stood to his feet, he heard a sound like a wounded animal, an angry howl, in the distance. Not wanting to chance meeting this wounded animal, he quickened his pace and quickly caught up with Chief and Arbiter.

"What are you guys doing out here? There doesn't seem to be anything of interest in the middle of a jungle," Jack said, constantly glancing around him.

"He has clearly not been keeping up with your war," Arbiter commented.

"We don't advertise it," Chief snapped. "Besides, I've never seen someone dress like that before."

"You've never heard of a pirate?" Jack asked, astonished.

"They were run out of business nearly 600 years ago," Chief said, voice seeming tense.

"Impossible! Pirates are all over the place, nine pirate lords and such," he retorted.

"Just where are you from, anyway?" Chief asked, stopping and turning to face Jack.

"Earth."

"I don't think so. You're on Earth, and I've been to many planets. I have never seen someone like you before." Master Chief's voice made it clear that he didn't actually believe Jack. "Forget it," he sighed, walking forward again. "As soon as we get to Johnson, he can help us figure out how to get this guy back to his planet."

"A wise idea, Spartan," Arbiter said. "Perhaps there is another planet called Earth, only in another galaxy," Arbiter suggested. Master Chief shrugged, readjusting his grip on the gun at the same time.

Jack followed them through the jungle for some time. Strange sounds echoed from the distance. Animalistic sounds mixed with what was obviously gunfire.

"It seems we are nearing the extraction point," Chief commented to no one in particular. They came upon a clearing covered with some sort of stone with buildings lining it. Chief stopped before entering and motioned for Jack to get down and hide. Arbiter had disappeared and Jack wondered where he could have possibly gone to. He opened his mouth to ask but Master Chief held up one finger, telling Jack to be quiet. Upset that he wasn't allowed to speak, he settled for looking into the clearing. Three other types of aliens were standing around, holding a defensive position.

"Your sergeant has been captured," Arbiter said, appearing behind them without a sound. Jack jumped and nearly screamed before Chief turned to look at him. Jack didn't need to see his eyes to know that he was glaring.

"They've got Johnson, have they?" Chief said as he released his gaze on Jack. Arbiter inclined his head, pulling out a glowing blue sword. Jack locked his eyes on it; it was shiny and pretty. He wanted it. He pulled out his own sword and looked it over. It was many years old and had seen many battles, which clearly showed in the marks along its edge. Jack frowned, devising a plan in the back of his head. Neither Arbiter nor Chief noticed the glint of desire in Jack's eye.

"Indeed, there are many Brutes, Grunts and Jackals down there as well."

"No problem," Chief said with a bit of humor in his voice. "Alright, Arbiter. You and I will go down there and wipe them out. You," he stressed, looking at Jack. Jack snapped back his hand. He had been slowly reaching for Arbiter's sword. "Stay here," he commanded. Jack pouted as he watched Chief stand to his feet.

"Are you going to make me?" he hissed to their retreating backs. "Damn whatever he is," Jack grumbled, struggling for a term to describe them. He sat there for a few moments, staring into the clearing, before he realized that just because Chief was bigger, and scarier, than him that it didn't mean that he had to listen to him. Jack smirked as he wandered down the hill. He paused briefly when he saw a small-ish creature with a triangular tank on his back and mask over his face.

"Kill the demon!" the creature hollered in a high-pitched voice causing Jack to laugh. The alien creature stopped, lowering his gun as he stared, bewildered, at Jack. "You big bully!" he cried in outrage. Jack laughed harder. It was as tall as a child and just about as threatening. Jack clutched his stomach and curled on the ground as he laughed. He managed to pull it together long enough to see Arbiter run his sword through the creature's body, killing it.

"What was that for?" Jack cried, standing to his feet. "He was funny!"

"And he would have killed you without a second thought, had you provided him the right opportunity," Arbiter chided. "You were told to stay behind for a reason."

"You guys can't control me!" Jack shouted as Arbiter began to walk away. As Jack's comment, he stopped, turning back towards the strange human. Jack watched as he bent over to grab the gun from the alien's limp hand.

"If you choose to be so brash, at least come into combat with a decent weapon," he said, eyeing Jack's sheathed sword as he thrust the gun at him. Jack took it and looked it over. It was very similar to his own pistol, which he had left in Tia's shack. The only thing different was that the barrel was shaped a little differently. "There should be plenty of ammo," Arbiter said, raising his sword as he walked back into battle. Jack scowled as he contemplated what to do. Another alien creature, this one rather lean and birdlike, squawked when he noticed Jack. Jack let out an "Ahh!" while he raised his gun and stopped the creature from killing him. Jack chuckled slightly at what this gun could do. It was much more powerful than his pistol.

"Ha! Take that!" he laughed.

"What is that idiot up too?" Chief muttered to himself.

"Trying to be brave like you, Spartan," Arbiter replied with a small chuckle.

"Yes, well, he's going to get himself killed," the Spartan muttered, raising the crosshairs of his gun to the head of an alien.

Jack followed behind Chief and Arbiter, gun raised in shaking hands. He didn't come across a single alien as he approached the other two, who had stopped at a building and were attempting to open the door.

"Who is this?" a dark-skinned man asked, dressed in armor similar to Master Chief. "Chief, I see you picked up a straggler."

"Actually, he found us," Chief replied with a slight growl. "Speaking of which, do you think you can help us figure out where he came from?

"What do you mean? Ain't he a native?" he asked.

"Don't think so, Johnson. He claims that he's from Earth but he's obviously confused." Jack looked between Chief and the man, whose name must be Johnson, intrigued at their conversation.

"Name's Sgt. Avery Johnson," he said, turning to face Jack. "Where are you from, son?" he asked, lighting a cigar and taking a long drag on it.

"Earth, how many times do I have to tell you people?" Jack said with disbelief. Johnson looked to Chief as he blew out a large puff of smoke.

"That's what he told me, and I told him that I had never seen someone like him before," Chief commented. Johnson looked to Jack for acknowledgement of this claim. He nodded, opening his mouth to speak.

"Maybe he's from another galaxy where they have a planet called Earth as well," Johnson concluded.

"That was my thought as well," Arbiter stated.

"Well, we don't have time right now. He'll just have to tag along until we can get to a proper evac," Johnson stated. "What's your name anyway?"

"Cap'n Jack Sparrow," he replied at once.

"Well, come along, Captain. We've got a war to fight," Johnson chuckled. He looked at the tiny pistol Arbiter had given him. He glanced around while Jack spoke.

"What kind of business are you guys in?"

"Marines, a division of soldiers," Johnson replied. He spotted a fallen Marine, grabbed the assault rifle and handed it to Jack. "You're going to need a better weapon than that. I'll admit that it's good, just doesn't hold many rounds. Well, don't get rid of it! Hang on to it, you might need it!" Johnson said, watching Jack nearly drop the gun on the ground. Jack stared at the gun before finding a way to holster it on his waist.

"Where are the Pelicans, Sarge?"

"This way, Marines!" Johnson nearly shouted, indicating that they should follow him. Jack took the back of the group, nervously looking around them as they made their way through the forest.

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><p><strong>So, I'm just going to be upfront about this. I have a feeling that the personalities of all the characters are going to morph. I'm anticipating them acting like the OCs in my original story: they make up their own personalty. Also, don't expect "a chapter a week" to last. I tend to be a very slow writer. However, it's usually worth it in the end. Sorry if some of things in the chapter were reiterated. So, please R&amp;R. I really want to know how I'm doing.<strong>

**~LE  
><strong>


	3. The Start of a New War

****Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pirates of the Caribbean or Halo. They are property of Walt Disney and Bungie/343 respectively. Thank you. ~LE****

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><p><span>The Shenanigans of Cap'n Jack Sparrow<span>

Chapter Three

The Start of a New War

They hadn't walked very far when they came upon two very large machines that Jack simply couldn't describe. He could only assume that these were the 'Pelicans' that Johnson had referred to. He approached them a bit apprehensively, unsure of what they did. After a moment or two, he followed the other three onboard, spotting when they snapped a few strips of cloth around their chests. He did the same, noticing that it kept his back snuggly against the seat.

A deafening sound arose from the front of the Pelican, causing Jack to jump slightly in his seat. Faintly, he heard Arbiter what must have been a laugh from his left. He plainly saw Johnson smirk in front of him.

"It's not funny!" he tried to yell over the motor but his voice was drowned out. Before he could say another word, the Pelican gave a great shake and began to move. Jack looked out of the opening in the side with horror; they were leaving the ground.

"This isn't possible!" he hollered, again for his voice to be lost. He gripped the sides of his seat until his knuckles turned white. When the Pelican had reached its cruising altitude, and the ride smoothed out, Jack finally relaxed and loosened his death grip on the seat. He realized that riding in a Pelican wasn't that terrible; in fact, it wasn't much different from taking a ship or boat over a stormy sea. That's it, he thought. Think of it as ship on the sea. He closed his eyes and imagined that he was back on the Black Pearl, sitting in his quarters while he plotted where he and the crew would go next. Jack figured that he would travel out of the way of the East India Trading Company and head closer to the Spaniards land. He had heard of a treasure buried somewhere near Campo Grande. It had to be worth checking out. Besides, while he made port nearby, he could restock his rum supply! One could never have enough rum. And lately it seemed as if the crew had been drinking more and more rum. That meant that there was less for him to drink, and that didn't make for a happy Jack.

With his course now plotted, he strolled out onto the main deck of the _Black Pearl_. He spotted Gibbs on the helm, temporarily directing the crew in his place.

"Ah, Mister Gibbs," Jack said, taking the helm from him.

"Cap'n," he replied. "Have ye a course?"

"Indeed," Jack smiled, bringing out his favorite compass.

"I had no idea you humans were so amusing," Arbiter said, stifling a chuckle. Master Chief turned an unseen glare on the branded Elite. Much to their surprise, Jack had fallen asleep on the Pelican and was now murmuring as he dreamt. To be honest, Chief did find it slightly humorous but it was also unheard of in someone who was on their first Pelican ride and that worried him slightly. He shook his head, pushing it to the back of his mind. His only thought concerning Jack was to get him out of his way. The last thing he needed was some stranger civilian's death on his hands. But then again, if Jack died, it would have been his own fault, leaving Chief with nothing to worry about.

They approached their destination and Sgt. Johnson stretched out and rammed the butt of his gun into Jack's leg. He jerked away with a small yelp, and Johnson chuckled.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," he laughed. "We're about to land, so brace yourself."

"Why couldn't you have let me sleep until we landed?"

"Because as soon as we land, we have to get off."

"So, where are we now?" Jack asked obnoxiously as the Pelicans took off, leaving its passengers on the ground in front of a single door in a nearby hill.

"Crow's Nest," Johnson replied, thumping Jack on the shoulder. "Try to keep up, son. We wouldn't want to lose you in this jungle."

"Says you," Chief mumbled, shifting his grip on his rifle and quickly walking forward. The remaining soldiers and Jack followed after, entering into an air-cooled building that sat inside the mountain. Jack looked around in awe; the walls were covered in metal sheets and some weird picture frame. He assumed that they housed more of the moving pictures that he had seen previously.

"Dude!" a soldier at the far end of the room cried in awe, having spotted Master Chief.

"What?" his companion asked, swiveling his head around wildly. It was almost as if he couldn't see.

"A Spartan II," the first soldier replied.

"If you're joking with me…" the blind one growled.

"No, he's right. It really is a Spartan II; we're gonna be fine, fellas," said another soldier, walking up behind the blind one and gripping his shoulder. Jack hurried to catch up with Johnson and Chief, reaching them as they stopped in front of staircase.

"Where'd you find him?" a woman asked. Jack stepped to the side and saw a woman wearing a pristine military outfit and short, dark hair.

"Nappin' out back," Johnson replied, emitting a chuckle. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jack open his mouth to speak and shook his head. Jack noticed this and slammed his jaw shut.

"I think this 'Captain' needs to stay with Johnson more," Chief whispered to Arbiter.

"Good to have you back, Chief," the woman said, bringing everyone's attention back on her. "And who is this?" she said, pointing to Jack roughly.

"An other-worldly civilian that we picked up on our way," Chief responded dryly.

"And he came along for the ride," Arbiter added. "If we have time along the way, we are going to try and send him back to where he came from."

"Yeah, but there's only one problem with that," Chief snapped, turning to face Arbiter. "We don't know where he came from." The woman glared at them for arguing, but neither acknowledged her.

"The human has told us quite plainly," Arbiter pressed. "He is a pirate from Earth. I thought we agreed that there could possibly be another Earth in another galaxy."

"There is no other Earth in any other galaxies, but nice try," the woman said, finally able to get a word in edgewise. "He quite plainly speaks English, and as I'm sure you guys know already, there are no more pirates," she sighed. "He's on the right planet. He's just in the wrong time."

"What?" Jack said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Pirates don't exist anymore," she said. "Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes, commanding officer. And you are?" she asked, extending a hand to Jack.

"Cap'n Jack Sparrow, captain of the _Black Pearl_ in the Caribbean Sea," Jack responded, awkwardly shaking hands with her. A woman was never allowed to hold a position of power. If he had truly been thrust into the future, things had changed for the worst. He wanted out, and fast.

"Well, Cap'n Jack, welcome aboard the team. At the current moment, we don't know of a way to portal through time. However, we might be able to get in contact with someone who might. In the meantime, hang tight and stick close to Chief or Johnson," Keyes said, turning and leading them down a hallway. "You seem like the kind of man who constantly needs to be doing something and it will be better on all of us if you assist, the best you possibly can, Master Chief in the field."

Jack nodded, mock saluting her as he had seen Johnson and Chief do when they had first met with her. Keyes laughed at the sight, causing Jack began to rethink his evaluation of her. She was a different kind of woman. Nothing at all like Elizabeth or Scarlett or Giselle….

"Back to business," Keyes said, walking down the hallway again. "Chief, we need to get you caught up. The Prophet of Truth's ships have breached our Lunar perimeter. There's nothing left of Home Fleet. Casualties were extreme, following the subsequent bombardment." Keyes hung her head and sighed. A few soldiers stepped aside and saluted as Keyes moved past. Jack watched them lower their hands in astonishment at the sight of Arbiter. "Truth could have landed anywhere but instead, he sent all of his forces here in East Africa, the ruins of New Mombasa. I don't know what they're up to, but they've started digging."

"What about Halo?" Chief asked.

"I've managed to place the firing on hold, but it's only temporary. We've heard that Truth is looking for something called the Ark. Some in the chain of command believe that it's the key to fire all of the Halo rings. You know what that means," Keyes said, turning to face Chief with a solemn expression on her face.

"I know," he replied, voice just as solemn.

"What are you guys going on about?" Jack asked, pushing his way to the front of their group, where he forced them to stop.

"The Halo rings are a set of devices that the Forerunners created thousands of years ago in order to stop a species of parasitic aliens, called the Flood, from killing everyone," Johnson replied, walking up behind them after tending to a wounded soldier. "Well, when they fired it, it worked. But somehow, the Flood survived and are threatening to do it all over again."

"So, what happens if these rings are fired?" Jack asked, furrowing his brow.

"All of the sentient life forms will be wiped out," Keyes stated, staring down at the pirate. She watched as he comprehended this, his eyes going wide.

"How do we stop it?" he asked, voice slightly panicked.

"Ma'am, Lord Hood wishes to speak with you," a man said, running up and saluting Keyes. She nodded and the man dashed off to activate the moving picture. She followed after the man until they were in front of the moving picture frame, which blinked with color and came to life. Jack saw an older man with graying hair appear.

"I hope you have good news," Hood asked, eyeing Master Chief. "Status?"

"Green, sir," Chief replied. Hood nodded and turned his attention back to Keyes.

"As you can see, as good as it gets, sir. We do have one small complication but nothing that we can't handle," she said, sweeping her hand over and indicating Jack. Hood looked over at him but didn't press the issue. He trusted Keyes' judgment, no matter what the subject was.

"Have you told them of the plan, yet?" Hood asked. "Now that Chief is here, I'm certain we can pull it off."

"Not yet, sir. I was bringing the Chief up to speed when you conferenced," she commented. "We know where Truth's ships are at, as well as the fact that his infantry has deployed anti-aircraft shields along their perimeter. If we can neutralize just one of these shields, we can pop a hole into the Prophet's defenses," Keyes explained with a smile.

"We can initiate a low-level strike and hit 'em right where it hurts. While I only have a handful of ships, and it's a big risk, I'm confident in you, Master Chief. You can – " Lord Hood was unable to finish, however. The room went black, along with the screen.

"Get the generators online! Now!" Keyes hollered through the dark.

"We're working on it, Ma'am!" someone replied. "As soon as it's fixed, we'll re-establish contact." Commander Keyes had been about to speak but smiled instead. Her team was one step ahead of her. They were about to speak with Lord Hood when the screen blipped and someone else appeared. Jack saw the picture of an oddly formed alien, with a very curved spine, sitting in an ornate chair with a headdress that was just as ornate.

"All of you are vermin," he spoke in a weary voice. "You cower in the dirt, thinking of what, I wonder? Are you planning on escaping the coming fire? It's too late; your world will burn until there is nothing left. Not even your Demon will be alive to crawl over the blackened remains. He will not be able to mar our passage, the culmination of our journey! Your destruction is the will of the gods! I am their instrument!" he hollered, shaking a fist at the camera. The screen blipped once more, darkening the room.

After a few seconds, the power kicked back on.

"Is he always that cocky?" Jack asked.

"Yep, sure loves to just run his mouth," Johnson laughed.

"Does he usually mention me?" Chief asked, looking to Keyes. She shrugged, adopting a thoughtful look. Her eyes grew wide as she realized exactly what the alien on the screen had meant. "Commander?" he questioned, a small amount of worry creeping into his voice.

"Close shop," she shouted. Everyone in the room turned to look at her with odd expressions. "We're about to get hit, hard."

"Defense code Alpha-one!" a personnel shouted. "Prepare for immediate evac!"

"Make sure all of the wounded get out," Keyes ordered.

Johnson nodded. "Even if I have to carry 'em myself."

"Chief," Keyes said abruptly. "Where's Cortana?"

"She stayed behind when I landed," he said solemnly. She looked like she wanted to say more but she was interrupted.

"Ma'am," someone asked. "Do we have a rally point?" Commander Keyes looked at him for a moment before striding to the weapons cabinet on the far side of the room. From inside, she removed a pistol and cocked it.

"To war," she replied simply, letting the slide go. A click resounded off of the walls. Jack looked at her, realizing that she meant business. And right now, there was no way he was getting home anytime soon. For some reason that he couldn't explain, even to himself, he felt somewhat compelled to help them win this war. So what was his next action?

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry, it took nearly a month to get this chapter up. I've been working on a bunch of other things right now and trying to do well in school, so it doesn't leave much room for writing. To the one comment I received about Cortana not being mentioned, well, she's finally mentioned. Most of this chapter is just cutscene from Halo 3 but I didn't want the chapter to be extensively long. Chapter Four should be more on the battlefield with less cutscene. Please R&amp;R!<strong>

**~LE**


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